City leaders approve plan for 120 affordable apartments for seniors

Published: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 02:37 PM.

ECCDI’s next step is to submit funding applications seeking loans from the state and private equity funds, Walker said.

“If we get funded in late spring or early summer, construction could start a year from now,” he said.

It would take about 12 to 18 months to complete the apartments, he said.

ECCDI just built an 88-unit apartment complex in Jacksonville that took 10 months to complete.

Both Walker and McCloskey said the city and the different boards endorsed the project and, with their assistance, it all came together.

The property where the proposed housing units will go was originally part of a 156-acre farm Parrott’s father purchased in the mid-1940s. Twenty-one lots were developed in the 1960s and 21 acres were donated to the city for the West New Bern Recreation Center.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.

A proposal to develop a senior affordable housing project in New Bern has the approval of the Board of Aldermen and Board of Adjustment. Construction could begin next year.

After a public hearing last week, aldermen agreed to rezone 6.35 acres of a 68.997-acre lot located between Amhurst Boulevard, Elizabeth Avenue, Pine Tree Drive and Karen Drive from R-10 residential district to C-5 office and institutional district, for the housing project. The Board of Adjustment then approved a special use permit to allow the construction of the apartments, which will house low-to-moderate-income seniors 55 and older.

Seth Parrott, owner of the property, requested the rezoning, and the nonprofit East Carolina Community Development Inc. plans to build the apartments.

Jeff Ruggieri, director of Development Services, said about half of the nearly 69 acres is already zoned C-5.

The C-5 office and institutional district is primarily used for residences, certain limited business and professional offices, and some institutional-type uses such as hospitals, medical offices and clinics. The R-10 residential district is principally used to accommodate single and two-family homes with 10,000-square-foot lots for single-family dwellings and 150,000 square-foot lots for two-family dwellings.

Amy Currin, an attorney for East Carolina Community Development Inc., said ECCDI has a contract or option to purchase a portion of the property. ECCDI is planning to spend $12 million to build the senior housing apartments, she said.

According to the site plan submitted to the Board of Adjustment by ECCDI, the housing development would be called Meridian West Apartments and would be two multi-family buildings with 120 units on a 10-acre site on Sheryl Drive between Amhurst Boulevard, Elizabeth Avenue, Pine Tree Drive and Karen Drive.

The proposed project was reviewed and approved by the city’s Departmental Site Plan Review Committee on Sept. 13.

Bernard George, Development Services planning manager, said the development will have 40 one-bedroom apartments and 20 two-bedroom apartments in each building.

The apartments will be accessed by circular driveways adjacent to 130 parking spaces. The development would have a multipurpose community room, raised gardens, patio recreation areas, an extensive sidewalk system and onsite management, according to the site plan.

Keith Walker chief executive officer and president of ECCDI, said the nonprofit’s purpose is to build affordable housing in Eastern North Carolina. ECCDI built the Weatherstone Apartments in Derby Park.

Mark McCloskey, vice president for planning and development at ECCDI, said it has been looking for ways to bring affordable housing to seniors in New Bern for several years.

ECCDI recognized a need in New Bern and already had a presence here with Weatherstone Apartments, McCloskey said.

“There are a lot of people waiting to find work and a lot of people looking for a place to live,” he said.

ECCDI’s next step is to submit funding applications seeking loans from the state and private equity funds, Walker said.

“If we get funded in late spring or early summer, construction could start a year from now,” he said.

It would take about 12 to 18 months to complete the apartments, he said.

ECCDI just built an 88-unit apartment complex in Jacksonville that took 10 months to complete.

Both Walker and McCloskey said the city and the different boards endorsed the project and, with their assistance, it all came together.

The property where the proposed housing units will go was originally part of a 156-acre farm Parrott’s father purchased in the mid-1940s. Twenty-one lots were developed in the 1960s and 21 acres were donated to the city for the West New Bern Recreation Center.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.